I look at it like this.... Most franchises are not going to give up their quality players or franchise players for Pau because he is on a decline (unless Mitch can rob another team for their players) I just don't see us receiving proven players for Gasol so why not take a risk on some young players... (By the way we need to start trying to get more youth) and develop them as we go.... All championship teams have a mixture of youth and veterans right now we need more youth

If the Lakers can't even get quality players for Pau, then the Lakers shouldn't trade him. It's too risky to trade him for players that haven't even proven they can contribute at the NBA level. The Lakers would be a first round exit team if those players don't pan out.

If the Lakers can't even get quality players for Pau, then the Lakers shouldn't trade him. It's too risky to trade him for players that haven't even proven they can contribute at the NBA level. The Lakers would be a first round exit team if those players don't pan out.

We would be better defensively with those players if we have a PF that can block shots consistently and finish around the rim than we wil be fine. The only reason players don't pan out is because of bad player development programs with in the Team, the player lacks motivation, or the player is just a knucklehead.

The only reason players don't pan out is because of bad player development programs with in the Team, the player lacks motivation, or the player is just a knucklehead.

Marcus Williams, Univ. of Arizona...great work ethic, not a "knucklehead" by any means, drafted by the Spurs and, a year after he was traded, signed back to the Spurs, who are excellent with player development (one of the best franchises in the league when it comes to that).

How about James Anderson? Those two kids are just two I'm pulling out of nowhere, because they were drafted by San Antonio, and both are very hard workers.

I'll go a step further, and note players that I personally know. Wayne Simien. Cole Aldrich. Darnell Jackson. Julian Wright. Wayne was one of my friends, just as Kirk Hinrich and Nick Collison were, and he didn't pan out because he had a bad attitude, or wasn't a hard worker, or Miami's player development was terrible?

Explain.

Instead of you doing it, I will. Some players just aren't cut out for the NBA. Some just can't get it done. You can't open up a book of draftees and choose five or six guys, out of the first round, to stick on our roster, all based on what they did back in college, and think that it will translate to the league.

If it was that easy, there would be no such thing as player scouts (who are paid generously). A scout's job is to analyze a player's game, over a course of 10+ games, and determine if he has the necessary skills to become a pro athlete...even if it's someone like Kyrie Irving, who played 11 games total in college before landing the #1 pick.

Marcus Williams, Univ. of Arizona...great work ethic, not a "knucklehead" by any means, drafted by the Spurs and, a year after he was traded, signed back to the Spurs, who are excellent with player development (one of the best franchises in the league when it comes to that).

How about James Anderson? Those two kids are just two I'm pulling out of nowhere, because they were drafted by San Antonio, and both are very hard workers.

I'll go a step further, and note players that I personally know. Wayne Simien. Cole Aldrich. Darnell Jackson. Julian Wright. Wayne was one of my friends, just as Kirk Hinrich and Nick Collison were, and he didn't pan out because he had a bad attitude, or wasn't a hard worker, or Miami's player development was terrible?

Explain.

Instead of you doing it, I will. Some players just aren't cut out for the NBA. Some just can't get it done. You can't open up a book of draftees and choose five or six guys, out of the first round, to stick on our roster, all based on what they did back in college, and think that it will translate to the league.

If it was that easy, there would be no such thing as player scouts (who are paid generously). A scout's job is to analyze a player's game, over a course of 10+ games, and determine if he has the necessary skills to become a pro athlete...even if it's someone like Kyrie Irving, who played 11 games total in college before landing the #1 pick.

Real talk, there's more to it than what you say.

the 3 players you named where hot garbage... Idk why even some of those players were even drafted... but the players that I always bring up have intangibles that if groomed right they will become good players under the right system and coach...

the 3 players you named where hot garbage... Idk why even some of those players were even drafted... but the players that I always bring up have intangibles that if groomed right they will become good players under the right system and coach...

I named six players, but yes, thanks for proving my point. It's more than just bad attitudes and poor player development.

Pau is kind of running out of excuses...changed the teammates in the frontcourt, changed head coaches, changed schemes, he plays with 2nd unit as the primary post option, he is still not as effective as we want him to be. Like I said before his only saving grace so far is his rebounding, one on one defense and giving the ball to Kobe in his sweet spots

Pau is kind of running out of excuses...changed the teammates in the frontcourt, changed head coaches, changed schemes, he plays with 2nd unit as the primary post option, he is still not as effective as we want him to be. Like I said before his only saving grace so far is his rebounding, one on one defense and giving the ball to Kobe in his sweet spots

good post, opened my eyes a little more, i agree. maybe Nash's pick n roll with him will save him, thats his last shot

Yeah the excuses for Pau have gradually dwindled down to the point where he needs to show improvement under DAntoni or Pau's fate should be the same as Mike Brown. I frankly have no qualms if we do decide to trade him because at this stage he is very much replaceable.

At this moment there are 4 players on our team who I am 100% confident will produce consistently all season (assuming of course they can hopefully stay healthy): Kobe, D12, Nash and Hill. That's not very reassuring. But if Pau and Ron (and I'm really not sure which one is more likely to break out of their dumbass play if I had to pick), we only need a couple other players off the bench to perform well and I'm pretty confident Antawn and Jodie can do that if D'Antoni can utilize their strengths accordingly in an offense-minded system. Pau is the wild card guys if D'Antoni OR anything about our new style of ball can somehow light a fire under his ass and play inspired basketball again, I like us against anybody. If not, we could squeak by the West but I don't see us beating the heat. So lets pray Pau gets back to 2008-2010 Pau. I realize those may be pretty big ifs, but we have a much much better chance now than we had a week ago with a better head coach to lead this team than Mike Brown.

Edited by LakersChamps243, November 15, 2012 - 11:51 PM.

"Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there" - John Wooden

If Lamar never left, I don't think he'd be so fat currently. I think he would have kept working.
But that's a game of what-if's, and they never change the present. I do agree that it would be nice to have the old Odom back.

Edited by -Wade-, November 16, 2012 - 04:00 PM.

"I'm always a firm believer in us being able to make our own decisions." --Kobe Bryant

Why are we wanting to trade the best passing big man in the game again? If he is so replaceable then what other 7 footer who can shoot a decent mid range, shoots well from the line, has a high basketball IQ and can grab at least ten rebounds per game can we get? I mean, he is having such a horrible season (9 games, superb sample size by the way)? I am starting to think that some people think that J HIll is better than pau, but I keep telling my self that no one can be that [expletive]ing retarded?...right? People need to start realizing that pau has to give up some of his game because of dwight and did give up some of his scoring because of bynum last year. Let us stop losing our minds and think that we could just trade such an integral part of the team. Did I mention how gasol has been healthy very consistently for a 7 footer?

Sometimes I think he checks out once he gets his stats. People talk about stat stuffing but I think Gasol has gotten used to it.

Cause you notice he'll score maybe 10-15 points in a half, and then for the second half he doesn't do a darn thing but occasionally rebound?

Such as the case tonight he got about 10 points in the FIRST QUARTER, disappeared the entire rest of the game and finished with 15 points I believe and couldn't hit a wide open jump shot for some reason after his hot streak.

It just doesn't seem like Pau has the "finish them" mindset anymore He gets his stats and then disappears. There was no one on the Suns that could stop him or his shot off the screen when he got open, we could punish them for that the entire game and Gasol could have had 40 or even more with the way he was hitting his shots.

But nope, he got his 10 in the first quarter and disappeared for the rest of the game for the most part.

To me he just isn't motivated to step on another teams throat is content to get stats and leave. I think it's his 'safe' zone.

he's had a couple of bad games and so he got his 10 in the first quarter and then lazily finishes the game with 15 or so and doesn't play any defense the entire way.

To me this is the problem with Pau. D'antoni is gonna wanna go to whichever play is working and constantly bust the team with it. But as tonight showed it doesn't seem Pau is willing to constantly go to what's destroying the other team once he gets his numbers.

Watching Pau's defense was maddening, cause I watched Pau let the guy just get past him and watch him score. This was the most evident when he did it but Jordan Hill decided to switch and block the shot, something Pau could do if he stayed attached to the guy or shadowed him.

This is the difference, Pau in his own mind had done all he needed to do for the night.

Pau no longer plays to win, he plays to keep the Lakers from cutting/trading him. That's what I get from him lately.

"Bryant had come to rage against the idea that Howard's clownish disposition could overtake the locker room, the Lakers' culture, and had warned Howard that he would never, ever let it happen."